Zipp News

Vanhoenacker breaks all-time Ironman® record

It's not every day that a major record falls. So when we heard that Zipp athlete Marino Vanhoenacker was on track to break the all-time Ironman distance record, we watched with bated breath. The previous record had stood since 1997, set by Luc Van Lierde with a time of 7:50:27 in Roth at Ironman Europe. Vanhoenacker crushed it last weekend at Ironman Austria, with a time of 7:45:58.

Marino came out of the water at 46:49, over a minute behind the leaders. But he got right to work on what would be an absolutely cracking bike leg, riding a Zipp 808 Firecrest Tubular front, Super-9 Tubular Disc rear, and SRAM RED components with R2C shifters. Halfway into his 4:15:37 bike split, he had overcome his swim deficit and built a lead of over six minutes on second place.

What was even more amazing about the Vanhoenacker's bike split was how much energy he was able to conserve for the run. But that's exactly what the new 808 Firecrest was designed to do. Off the bike, the Belgian's legs were fresh enough for an amazing 2:39:24 marathon. In the end, he didn't just beat Van Lierde's record. He destroyed it, burying the old record by four and a half minutes. Marino Vanhoenacker now owns the all-time record for any Ironman-distance race at 7 hours, 45 minutes, 58 seconds. Fellow Zipp sponsored athlete Michael Weiss finished second, recording a 7:57:39 time.

Over at the Tour, the opening stages have been quite dramatic for Saxo Bank-Sungard. Team leader Alberto Contador was caught behind a crash on Stage One that split the peloton, and the Spaniard currently sits in 39th place. Saxo will be working hard to put their leader back on top, riding Zipp 404 Firecrest Tubulars on the flats, and 202s and 303s when the road goes uphill. SRAM RED components will keep their bikes operating at maximum capacity for the crucial situations ahead.